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~ The pieces are all sewn together, stitched with love.........and a quilt tells a story and the story is our past ~

The Arrowood family immigrated from England to Maryland in the 1700's. They went south, eventually settling in the mountains of North Carolina. Later , some went further south, into the Piedmont of North Carolina, in search of work and a better way of life.

I am in search of my family.

I search for those that came before me, and lived their lives as best they could. I am in search of their stories, how they lived, and how they loved.

I shared this love of seeking the past with my Dad, sharing each new finding with him, the thrill in his heart intermingling with mine. I continue this search in his honor, and hope to know these people of ours when I join up with them all in heaven.

~ Steve Lewis Arrowood 1932-2008 ~

Come with me, back to a simpler time and place. A place far removed from the hectic pace of today. To a time when life was hard, but the rewards were great. When your quality of life was determined by your own sweat, your own toil, and your own ingenuity.

Would you like a glass of sweet tea? Let's sit out on the porch where we will catch the sweetly scented breeze of summertime. Maybe Grandma will fry up some of her wonderful chicken... Time slows here.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.In a 9 inch square baking pan, mix sliced apples with brown sugar. In a large bowlmix together flour, white sugar, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, beat together egg and melted butter. Stir into flour mixture. Spread evenly over apples. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until topping is golden and crisp.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

When I was a little girl, and the leaves began to turn, I knew it was about time.

Time for autumn, the fall of the year. Time for apple cider, and warm fuzzy sweaters.

Apple butter on warm toast.

With the chill in the air, and the clear blue of the 'almost dusk' sky, my thoughts turn back to the mountains.

Time for apples.

The smell of fireplace wood smoke, as evening is coming on, holds something special for me.

October falls softly in Carolina. Like a spent leaf sighing slowly to the earth.

Time to gather round the hearth.

My grandpa had such a love for the mountains. He was ready, no matter what time of year it was, to get in the car, and head for the “hills”. We lived in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Just some low rising hills around . The mountains of the area, are not really what I would consider to be mountains, they are really tall “hills“.

The mountains call me back ‘home’ this time of year, every year, it is just in my blood. Can’t seem to help myself.

When there is still some color in the trees, the air is crisp, and the skies are blue, it is time.

We would stop along the way, at a roadside stand, for apples, cider, and honey. The signs were emblazoned on the path and beckoned you to stop for quite a ways before you actually got there. Excitement growing with each new sign.

A rite of the changing seasons, this journey to the mountains. Indelibly imprinted on me, just like heading to Filbert, South Carolina when summer peaches are ripe and sweet. The best place in the world for peaches.

It is just something that you do. Part of who you are. Part of where you come from.

On our recent trip up to “the mountains” , the smell of sweet apples, and the hope of the tartness to come, lured me to stop along side the highway to sample them. We came back with more than enough for the both of us.

I like the ones that my grandma always called "poppy". The ones that are sweet up front, after the first bite, then they cause that tingle along your jawline. That tingle of slightly tartness. Do you know the ones? The 'poppy' ones..you know. Grin.

We stopped at Saylor’s Orchard, in Bakersville, NC. We were not disappointed. My friend, Jack, at the Grist Mill, highly recommended these apples. They call their ‘signature’ apple the “ Saylor’s Sunrise“.

They are awesome!Golden, red, and delicious.

Saylor’s is owned and operated by Jim and Jean Saylor. You can’t miss it, you can see it from the road. The view of the valley from their apple stand is an added bonus. While we were there , a deer passed in the orchard, down below.

A beautiful sight.

When I walked into the apple store, I was entranced with the sweet, tantalizing smell of mountain apples. It was so thick with fragrance, that it made you feel like you had stepped inside of a basket of apple blossoms.

Stop by and get a large bag of those fragrant apples . You will be glad you did.

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The Arrowood/Arwood Family

Thanks so very much for all of the wonderful feedback I have gotten from everyone! If you are related or somehow have a tie to this family, please leave a comment for me. I welcome any additional info and absolutely love collecting pictures! If you have anything about this family you would like posted, I will gladly do so. Please, leave me a note! This has been, and continues to be, such a blessing to me.